# Barney Martin

Barney Martin (March 3, 1923 – March 21, 2005) was an American actor, best known for playing Morty Seinfeld, father of Jerry, on the sitcom Seinfeld (1991–1998). He also played supporting roles in Mel Brooks's The Producers (1967), and the Dudley Moore comedy Arthur (1981). He originated the role of Amos Hart (Mr. Cellophane) in the 1976 Broadway production of Chicago.

## Early life

Barney Martin was born in New York City on March 3, 1923. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a navigator during the Second World War and worked as a NYPD officer for twenty years, working his way up to detective. He got his start as a comedian while still a police officer, providing deputy commissioners with humorous presentations.
Martin once commented that many Jewish Seinfeld fans told him how much his character reminded them of their fathers. Martin himself was from an Irish Catholic family.

## Career

Entering show business as a stand-in for Jackie Gleason in The Honeymooners in 1955–56 and as a part-time writer for Steve Allen in the 1950s, he was discovered by Mel Brooks, who cast him in The Producers. The next year, he played the role of Hank in Charly. He went on to act in dozens of films, including the role of Liza Minnelli's unemployed father in the hit 1981 film Arthur and its 1988 sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks.
On television, he appeared in two episodes of The Odd Couple, once in a very early episode as an irate fellow juror infuriated with Felix Unger's pesty personality and four years later as a fellow subway train passenger. Shortly after, Martin co-starred with Tony Randall for two seasons in The Tony Randall Show as court reporter Jack Terwilliger. Throughout the run of this show, he had second billing only to Randall himself. In 1979, he was cast as the title character in Norman Lear's final TV series concept, McGurk: A Dog's Life. Martin was cast to play a character similar to Lear's earlier creation, Archie Bunker, but played as a dog. Only the pilot was completed. In 1990, he co-starred with Valerie Bertinelli and Matthew Perry in the CBS sitcom Sydney. In 1987, he appeared in the pilot episode of 21 Jump Street as Johnny Depp's partner. In 1993, Martin played the recurring role of "Pete Peters" on the Don Rickles sitcom Daddy Dearest.
In 1975, Martin originated the role of Amos Hart in the Broadway musical Chicago, in which he introduced the song "Mr. Cellophane". He appeared in many more musicals during his career, most notably South Pacific, The Fantasticks, and How Now, Dow Jones. Much of Martin's work has been in television, where he had a long career as a character actor. He played a gangster called the "Cheese Man" in a Golden Girls episode. He played a love interest for Thelma Harper in the Hawaii episode of Mama's Family, and he played the father of Frank Fontana on Murphy Brown. He appeared in an episode of Full House as Ranger Roy, the host of a popular kids' TV show. In 1981, he portrayed Ralph Marolla, father of Liza Minnelli's character in the film Arthur and the following year appeared on Barney Miller in the episode "Obituary".
In 1991, Martin was cast as the fictional father of Jerry Seinfeld, Morty Seinfeld in the sitcom Seinfeld. His first appearance was in Season 2's "The Pony Remark". Martin replaced Phil Bruns, who first portrayed the character in Season 1's "The Stake Out". Although he was the second actor to portray Jerry's dad in the show, he is the one most associated with the role, as Bruns only appeared in one episode. Martin took on the role upon showrunners Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld deciding they wanted the character of Morty Seinfeld to be harsher, as they thought Bruns was too laid-back for the character. He retained this role until the series ended in 1998.

## Death

Martin died of bladder cancer on March 21, 2005, in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, at age 82.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1956 | The Wrong Man | Juror | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Odds Against Tomorrow | Car Accident Driver | Uncredited |
| 1961 | The Young Doctors | Bus Driver | Uncredited |
| 1963 | Love with the Proper Stranger | Sidney | Uncredited |
| 1967 | The Producers | Göring | |
| 1968 | Charly | Hank | |
| 1970 | Lola | Doorman, Efficient but Fat | |
| 1978 | Movie Movie | Motorcycle Cop | (segment "Baxter's Beauties of 1933") |
| 1979 | Hot Stuff | Kiley | |
| 1981 | Arthur | Ralph Marolla | |
| 1988 | Arthur 2: On the Rocks | Ralph Marolla | |
| 1989 | Deadly Weapon | Mayor Bigelow | |
| 1992 | Hero | Court Official | Uncredited |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | The Phil Silvers Show | Police Officer | Episode: "The Boxer" |
| 1957 | To Tell the Truth | Imposter Portraying Jack Bothwell (Freckles from "Our Gang") | Episode: Aired Nov 26, 1957 |
| 1958 | I've Got A Secret | Himself, a contestant in a laughing competition | Episode: Aired April 2, 1958 |
| 1961 | Naked City | Bartender | Episode: "Landscape with Dead Figures" |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Rupert Harney | Season 2 Episode 5: "Blood Bargain" |
| 1963 | Car 54, Where Are You? | Friar Charlie Donovan | Episode: "See you at the Bar Mitzvah" |
| 1970–74 | The Odd Couple | Man #3 / Mr. Moss | 2 episodes |
| 1976–78 | The Tony Randall Show | Jack Terwillinger | 38 episodes |
| 1978 | Happy Days | G.W. Burch | Episode: "Fonzie for the Defense" |
| 1982 | Benson | Frank Cooper | 2 episodes |
| 1983–86 | Trapper John, M.D. | Fella / Herbert Mitchell | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | Hill Street Blues | Ben Seltzer | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Night Court | Bum | Episode: "The Former Harry Stone" |
| 1984 | St. Elsewhere | Mr. Duffy | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Marty | Episode: "Dealer's Choice" |
| 1985 | Diff'rent Strokes | Bill Perkins | Episode: "Blue Collar Drummond" |
| 1986 | Highway To Heaven | Barney | Episode: "A Night to Remember" |
| 1986 | Punky Brewster | Dr. Evans | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street | Edison Coulter / Charlie Donegan | 2 episodes |
| 1987–89 | Murder, She Wrote | Lieutenant Timothy Hanratty | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Mama's Family | Billy Field | 2 episodes "Mama Goes Hawaiian Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1989 | Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog | Rudy Phillips | Television movie |
| 1991 | Full House | Ranger Roy | Episode: "The Legend of Ranger Joe" |
| 1991 | Golden Girls | Karl "Cheeseman" Moran | Episode: "Witness" |
| 1991–92 | Life Goes On | Stan Baker | 5 episodes |
| 1991–98 | Seinfeld | Morty Seinfeld | 20 episodes |
| 1993 | Daddy Dearest | Pete Peters | 13 episodes |
| 1993 | The Wonder Years | Old Kevin | 1 episode |
| 2000–01 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Ambassador Major | Voice; 2 Episodes |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | All American | Various roles | Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway |
| 1967 | How Now, Dow Jones | Bradbury | Lunt-Fontanne Theater, Broadway |
| 1974 | All Over Town | Detective Peterson | Booth Theatre, Broadway |
| 1975 | Chicago | Amos Hart | 46th Street Theatre, Broadway |
| 1980 | The Roast | Sid Ball | Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway |